How to Use Planting for Privacy When You Have No Mature Trees
Clever growing techniques, shrub expertise and fence enhancements can all provide an effective green screen
If your garden is overlooked, you may dream of a screen of ancient trees to enclose the space and provide a sense of seclusion. But there are plenty of other ways to boost privacy, from bringing in height with an obelisk to clever pleaching to strategic shrub-growing. These Houzz garden designers show how to do it.
2. Cultivate a mature shrub
When is a tree not a tree? When it’s a mature shrub. Yes, there are plenty of shrubs that will grow tall enough to screen as effectively and bird-pleasingly as a tree, and you may even already have some in your garden that could be repositioned or strategically pruned for the job. You can also grow shrubs as trees by pruning out side shoots.
This overlooked urban garden was redesigned by Roberto Silva after the owner found his profile on Houzz. The garden already contained two mature shrubs that Roberto reshaped. These are the Virburnum tinus, in the centre of the rear boundary, and a Ceanothus (the blue plant on the right), both of which are evergreen. He planted a third large shrub on the left – a white-flowering Viburnum – to form a triangle.
Garden designer Claudia de Yong says, “Viburnum tinus is such a valuable plant to have in the garden, as the glossy leaves are attractive all year round and you can buy or train it into a standard tree shape, grow it as informal hedging or plant it as a specimen shrub in the border. Viburnums are also great plants for bees.”
More: What’s the Perfect Evergreen Shrub for Your Garden?
When is a tree not a tree? When it’s a mature shrub. Yes, there are plenty of shrubs that will grow tall enough to screen as effectively and bird-pleasingly as a tree, and you may even already have some in your garden that could be repositioned or strategically pruned for the job. You can also grow shrubs as trees by pruning out side shoots.
This overlooked urban garden was redesigned by Roberto Silva after the owner found his profile on Houzz. The garden already contained two mature shrubs that Roberto reshaped. These are the Virburnum tinus, in the centre of the rear boundary, and a Ceanothus (the blue plant on the right), both of which are evergreen. He planted a third large shrub on the left – a white-flowering Viburnum – to form a triangle.
Garden designer Claudia de Yong says, “Viburnum tinus is such a valuable plant to have in the garden, as the glossy leaves are attractive all year round and you can buy or train it into a standard tree shape, grow it as informal hedging or plant it as a specimen shrub in the border. Viburnums are also great plants for bees.”
More: What’s the Perfect Evergreen Shrub for Your Garden?
3. Top with a trellis
Possibly one of the simplest ways to increase a sense of seclusion in your outside space is by adding height to your boundary wall or fence with a trellis.
The beauty of this classic, usually wooden structure is, of course, that it’s designed to be filled with greenery. There is aesthetic variety in the world of trellises – this square geometric design is common, as is the diamond-shaped-hole equivalent. Slatted horizontal battens are also an option for a more contemporary look.
Follow the link below to choose the perfect plant for your trellis.
More: How to Pick the Best Climbing Plants for Your Garden
Possibly one of the simplest ways to increase a sense of seclusion in your outside space is by adding height to your boundary wall or fence with a trellis.
The beauty of this classic, usually wooden structure is, of course, that it’s designed to be filled with greenery. There is aesthetic variety in the world of trellises – this square geometric design is common, as is the diamond-shaped-hole equivalent. Slatted horizontal battens are also an option for a more contemporary look.
Follow the link below to choose the perfect plant for your trellis.
More: How to Pick the Best Climbing Plants for Your Garden
4. Pleach young trees
For screening purposes, pleaching can be very effective, as seen in this smart, Charlotte Rowe-designed garden.
Here, Charlotte has planted a border of Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (ornamental pear) along the fence and trained shoots along guides to form a slim, uniform green screen. This technique specifically requires young trees or plants (some shrubs can also be pleached).
In this example, there is fencing behind the leafy part of the trees, but this idea would work equally well above a fence or wall.
For screening purposes, pleaching can be very effective, as seen in this smart, Charlotte Rowe-designed garden.
Here, Charlotte has planted a border of Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (ornamental pear) along the fence and trained shoots along guides to form a slim, uniform green screen. This technique specifically requires young trees or plants (some shrubs can also be pleached).
In this example, there is fencing behind the leafy part of the trees, but this idea would work equally well above a fence or wall.
5. Plant in pots
Planting young trees or shrubs in large pots or raised beds gives you the opportunity to lift them up, meaning they’ll do the screening job of an older specimen faster. It also means you can pop in a tree even where there’s no flowerbed, perfect if you have a terrace, courtyard or balcony that needs a green screen.
This urban outdoor space, designed by K Studio Landscape Architecture & Garden Design, features a number of Viburnums, seen along the fence here, which have been grown as trees in large pots.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you be most likely to adopt in your own outdoor space? Let us know – and share photos of your own gardens.
Planting young trees or shrubs in large pots or raised beds gives you the opportunity to lift them up, meaning they’ll do the screening job of an older specimen faster. It also means you can pop in a tree even where there’s no flowerbed, perfect if you have a terrace, courtyard or balcony that needs a green screen.
This urban outdoor space, designed by K Studio Landscape Architecture & Garden Design, features a number of Viburnums, seen along the fence here, which have been grown as trees in large pots.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would you be most likely to adopt in your own outdoor space? Let us know – and share photos of your own gardens.
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Obelisks or tuteurs are pyramid-shaped structures that support climbing plants and are brilliant for adding height. And height, of course, is what you’re aiming for to replicate the screening magic of a large, well-placed tree. You can see the potential of the idea in this lovely example by The London Gardener.
The beauty of an obelisk is that you can position it wherever you like in the garden, meaning it’s easy to pick the perfect spot to increase privacy or fill a gap that’s lacking height. Pop one into a raised bed or in the corner of your plot, or position several in a row.
Go as tall as you can and choose a fast-growing climber to scramble up it and create a column of foliage and seasonal flowers to screen you.
Easily find and hire a local garden designer on Houzz.